The present invention relates to a gas-liquid separator for a fuel cell. The gas-liquid separator draws emission from a fuel cell unit into a housing and separates water from the emission. The gas-liquid separator then drains the separated water out of the housing.
A fuel cell device includes a fuel cell stack including a fuel cell unit and two end plates (refer to, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-123453). The fuel cell unit is formed by stacking cells. The fuel cell unit is held between the two end plates in the stacked direction of the cells.
The fuel cell stack described in the publication includes passages for fuel gas (e.g., hydrogen) and oxidation gas (e.g., air) that are supplied to the fuel cell unit. The fuel cell stack also includes emission passages for draining surplus fuel gas and oxidation gas out of the fuel cell unit.
The fuel gas emission passage includes a gas-liquid separator that draws in the fuel gas emitted from the fuel cell unit (hereafter, referred to as the emission) and separates water from the emission. The water, which is separated from the emission, is drained from a drain valve.
The emission from the fuel cell unit may include foreign matter that becomes trapped in the fuel cell unit when the fuel cell unit is manufactured. When such foreign matter reaches the drain valve through the fuel gas emission passage, the foreign matter may become caught in the drain valve.
Thus, in the fuel cell stack described in the publication, an insertion hole, which extends from a lower surface of an end plate, is connected to the fuel gas emission passage, which extends through the end plate. A filter is fitted into the insertion hole to capture foreign matter that is suspended in the emission.
In the structure described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-123453, the filter is coupled to the end plate. Thus, the end plate needs to include the insertion hole. As a result, the structure for coupling the filter is complicated.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas-liquid separator for a fuel cell that allows a filter to be coupled with a simple structure.
A gas-liquid separator for a fuel cell that achieves the above object includes a housing that draws in emission from a fuel cell unit. The gas-liquid separator separates water from the emission and drains the separated water out of the housing. The housing includes a case including an emission inlet, a cap including a drain port that drains the separated water out of the housing, and a filter fitted into the emission inlet from an inner side of the housing. The filter captures foreign matter entering the housing.
In the above configuration, the filter is coupled to the case using the emission inlet of the case. Thus there is no need for a separate insertion hole used to couple the filter.